Vehicle-wheel.



MOORE.

VEHICLE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1909.

946,6 14:. Patented Jan 18 1910.

MT; \7 17 W,

i l I i 'mes ROBERT J. MOORE, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

Application filed March 27, 1909. Serial No. 486,164.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT J. MOORE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle- TVheels,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to vehicle wheels, and has for its object theproviding of an inner wheel-member and an outer rim between which aresilient member is interposed for the purpose of providing resiliencyin the wheel and dispensing with pneumatic tires.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of theparts, and will be readily understood from the following description andclaims, and from the drawing, in which latter:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device. Fig. 2 is a verticalcentral axial section of the same on the line zz of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3is an enlarged detail in section on the line of Fig. 1.

1 represents an inner wheel-member, which comprises a hub 2.

3 is an outer wheel-member, instanced as an outer rim, between which andthe inner wheel-member an annular resilient member 4 is provided, thelatter being accordionshaped or of Zig-Zag form in cross-section and thewebs of which are preferably con tinuous about the annular resilientmember. The resilient member at comprises an inner annular web 5 and anouter annular web 6, between which intermediate annular webs 7 arelocated, these webs, at their respective edges, being alternatelyconnected as by means of rivets 8, or in other suitable manner, andspaced apart, as shown at 9,the webs slanting away from each othertoward opposite sides of the wheel, and forming a structure which iszig-zag in cross-section. The webs are arranged in cross-section atslight angles with relation to each other, the differences in the radialdistances of the re spective edges of said respective webs from therotary axis of the wheel being but slight, whereby I obtain the fulleffect of the resilient action of the metal. The webs are shown in theform of truncated cones having sides which extend at slight angles tothe rotary aXis of the wheel and are connected at alternate ends.Adjacent webs are also preferably supported from each other at pointsspaced from the outer ends of their meeting edges, whereby the resilientaction of one web is obtained by using its adjacent web as a fulcrum.The inner Web 5 is rigidly secured to an inner rim 10, as by means ofbolts 11, and the outer web 6 is rigidly secured to the outer rim 3, asby bolts 19.. These webs extend continuously around the wheel and arerespectively preferably uninterrupted or unbroken in their circle aroundthe wheel for purposes to be presently de scribed.

The inner and outer rims are stiff structures, between which the annularresilient member is secured, and form inner and outer stifi frames forthe annular resilient memher, the webs of the latter being preferably ofthin spring metal. The inner rim is provided with an inwardly openingmouth 13 in which the inner wheel-member is received. The walls 14 14 ofthe inwardly opening mouth 13 are secured to the inner wheelmember bymeans of bolts 15. One of these walls may be releasably secured to thebody of the inner rim by means of bolts 16. The tread 17 is received inan annular outwardly opening mouth 18 of the outer rim, and ispreferably of rubber or similar resilient material.

hen pressure or weight is applied to the hub, the lower portion of theannular resilient member will tend to collapse or close, while the upperportion thereof will have a tendency to spread, the remaining portionsof the annular resilient member having a tendency to counteract thefirst-named tendencies, and thereby distributing the pressure or weightupon the hub throughout the whole of the annular resilient member, thepoints of stress continuously progressing about the wheel while the sameis rotating and the directions of stress upon given parts of the annularresilient member also continually changing during rotation. Thus theyield of portions of the annular spring structure is partiallycounteracted by the resistance of other portions of said structure.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A vehicle-wheel comprising an inner wheel-member, an outerwheel-member, and an annular resilient member located between said innerwheel-member and outer wheelmember, the said annular resilient membercomprising an annular resilient springmetal structure which isaccordion-shaped in cross-section and the webs of which are connectedalternately at opposite edges, said webs having portions at said edgeswhich extend in cross-sectional planes parallel with the rotary axis ofthe wheel and portions intermediate of said parallel portions whichextend in cross-sectional planes at but slight angles to said rotaryaxis of said wheel, substantially as described.

2. A vehicle-wheel comprising an inner wheel-member, an outerwlieelaneinber, and an annular resilient member located between saidinner wheel-member and outer wheel member, the said annular resilientmember comprising an annular resilient spring-metal structure which isaccordion-shaped in crosssection and comprises webs which are sup portedfrom each other at short distances from alternate opposite edges andprovided with tapering spaces between said alternate opposite edges,substantially as described.

A vehicle-wheel comprising an inner wheel-member, an outer wheel-member,and an annular resilient member located between said inner wheel-memberand outer wheelmember, the said annular resilient member comprising anannular resilient spring-metal structure comprising webs of the form oftruncated cones having sides which extend at slight angles incross-section to the rotary axis of the wheel and are connected atalternate ends, substantially as described.

4. In a vehicle-wheel, the combination of a pair of annular stifi' rimsand an annular resilient structure between said rims, said resilientstructure comprising annular springmetal webs of the form of truncatedcones whose sides are at but slight angles to the rotary axis of thewheel and extend continuously and annularly between said annular stiltrims and are alternately connected and spaced apart at the respectiveends thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name hereto in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ROBERT J. MOORE Vitnesses CONSTANT Souriiwoirrn, LILLIAN BUNRETT.

